


A Quiet Hoelbrak Getaway

by phodyl



Series: Wintersday Fic Week 2019 [1]
Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Snow, Snowball Fight, Wintersday (Guild Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phodyl/pseuds/phodyl
Summary: "Erlend stepped into the gate to Hoelbrak with a beaming smile. He could hardly remember how long it had been since he last saw his love, nevermind the last time they’d had an entire week to themselves. The Wintersday festivities meant that Toril finally got a break from Commander-ing, as he liked to call it, and he’d left his shop in the care of his apprentice, who he was fairly certain was competent enough to manage.Hoelbrak was rather quiet at the moment, too, or so Toril had told him. With so many people staying in Divinity’s Reach to take full advantage of the holiday, the city she grew up in and loved so dearly was the perfect place to retreat into the warmth of each other’s company."***It's OC/OC fluff. What more can I say?
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character
Series: Wintersday Fic Week 2019 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575952
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	A Quiet Hoelbrak Getaway

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fic for day 1 of [tyrias-library's](https://tyrias-library.tumblr.com/) Wintersday Fic Week! This is actually my first time participating in an event like this so I'm super excited.
> 
> This week I'm challenging myself to develop characters I haven't focused on much and not just write a bunch of stuff about Dianach, so first off is some nice fluff about my Norn Commander and one of her partners! Enjoy :)

Erlend stepped into the gate to Hoelbrak with a beaming smile. He could hardly remember how long it had been since he last saw his love, nevermind the last time they’d had an entire week to themselves. The Wintersday festivities meant that Toril finally got a break from Commander-ing, as he liked to call it, and he’d left his shop in the care of his apprentice, who he was fairly certain was competent enough to manage.

Hoelbrak was rather quiet at the moment, too, or so Toril had told him. With so many people staying in Divinity’s Reach to take full advantage of the holiday, the city she grew up in and loved so dearly was the perfect place to retreat into the warmth of each other’s company.

He emerged with that slightly shaken feeling he got every time he used an asura gate, gift in hand (an axe he’d made; Toril had said she wanted to practice with them more, and Erlend simply couldn’t abide her using some cheap iron hatchet when he could easily craft her something much better) as he searched for that lovely ocean-tinted armor she always wore. 

She told him once that she chose the color because it reminded her of him, and the smith swore he would never forget the rush of joy he’d felt at hearing it.

“Erlend!” she called to him, waving excitedly from just beyond the steps to the gate.

“Well, if it isn’t the Dragonslayer herself,” Erlend said, making his way to her and pulling her into a quick kiss. “Ah, Spirits, it’s so good to touch you again.”

Toril giggled as he gave her a soft peck on the cheek and pulled back to retrieve the gift box. 

“I brought you a little something,” he told her, blushing sheepishly. “Just thought it might come in handy.”

“We should at least get back to the lodge where it’s warm before you start breaking out the gifts,” she teased. “You’re never dressed for the weather when you come out here.”

“Neither are you!” he retorted, playfully pinching the bare skin at her hip. “I swear, woman, I don’t know how you keep from freezing to death.”

“Well, when you grow up with it, you adapt,” she explained. “And besides, the cold in Hoelbrak is _nothing_ compared to what’s up further in the Shiverpeaks. I’d bet you’d barely make it through the day in Bitterfrost.”

“And I’d bet you’re right,” Erlend conceded with a smile. “Now, where’s that warmth you were talking about? I’m pretty sure I’m getting frostbite.”

***

Tucked up in Toril’s room in the Great Lodge, everything seemed easy. They didn’t have to think about the pressing passage of time drawing their retreat to a close, or how long it would be until they could see each other again, or the danger Toril would face taking on Jormag.

Having grown up and lived most of his life in Lion’s Arch, Erlend was no stranger to tragedy, to loss, and to living through it. He also knew that the spitfire of a woman he was lucky enough to share a bed with from time to time was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and that she had plenty of others looking out for her to boot. Neither of those things were enough to assuage his fear of what would happen when she went after yet another Elder Dragon.

The thought of her out there, in the freezing, biting cold of the far north, worse than even she could stand for long--it scared him. Erlend had no qualms admitting he feared for her; after all, what more honorable a feeling was there than concern for those you love? Even so, he knew she hated to think he was worrying about her.

 _It doesn’t matter now,_ he told himself, pushing down the fear. _We’re here now. This is what matters._

Toril was looking up at him, her face the picture of serenity, as they lay together tangled in furs. His fingers ran absentmindedly across her shoulder, tracing her tattoos and relishing in the heat of her skin against his.

“I’m sorry I can’t see you more often,” she said, breaking him from his reverie.

“It’s alright, babe.” She glared at him. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see you more often, but what you’re doing is important.”

The Commander sighed, taking his hand and toying with his fingers.

“I just can’t help but feel bad,” she said, looking down to avoid his gaze. “I mean, I know you said you were okay with things being this way, but I still feel like I owe you more. I feel like I’m not holding up my end of the bargain.”

“Hey, look at me,” Erlend said gently, nudging her chin with one hand. “You’re meant to be out there, saving the world, Commander-ing. It’s who you are, and I love who you are.” He paused, touching the ring that hung on a chain around her neck. “And besides, I get to tell people I’m married to Toril Dragonslayer herself. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Toril put a hand to his cheek, the callouses from years of battle a rough, familiar comfort against his skin. 

“I love you,” she said softly.

“Wait till I tell your friends you said that,” he joked.

“Don’t you dare,” Toril warned, sitting up and holding a pillow threateningly.

“Why not? Shouldn’t they know how much of a softie you can be by now?” 

“I have a reputation to uphold!” she said, gently tossing the pillow at him. “I can’t have you going around and telling everyone I say sweet things to you sometimes, I could never live it down!”

Erlend grabbed her by the waist and said against her ear, “What are you gonna do about it?” before kissing her neck teasingly. 

“Stop it!” Toril said, giggling despite herself. “That tickles, cut it out!”

“Make me!” he said, grabbing for the softness of her stomach, digging his fingers in until she was laughing so hard it hurt.

***

It was a few hours later when she dragged him outside, wrapped up in plenty of layers this time, into the light of the quickly rising sun. The glisten on the snow was like nothing he’d seen before. It wasn’t often he came up into the Shiverpeaks.

There were few people around, mostly just shopkeepers setting up for the day, and the quiet bordered on loud in a way Erlend couldn’t explain if he wanted to. Like most inexplicable things when it came to Toril’s world, he just noted it and moved on, preferring to focus on her company; he was beyond glad to have it at all.

Suddenly he felt something wet and cold against his cheek, and his face screwed up against it on instinct. Toril noticed the odd look, came closer and wiped the drop from his cheek with one gloved thumb before looking up toward the sky.

“It’s snowing!” she declared excitedly.

“Doesn’t it snow all the time here?” he asked.

“Yes, but now you’re here. It’s different,” the Commander clarified. “When was the last time you even _saw_ snow before yesterday?”

He thought for a moment, then said, “Spirits, I can’t even remember. Probably since the last time we met up here.”

“That was _ages_ ago.”

“I know. I really should try to make it out here more. I always forget how beautiful it is.”

He looked around then, taking in the scenery--the fuzzing of the skyline as the snow fell, the drifts piling around them, the sun glinting off of it all and illuminating her-- _wait, where’d she go?_

Erlend turned in a circle, searching for her towering form amongst the snow, finding nothing, and then he heard a _whap!_ as something hit the bulk of his coat, exploding in a cloud of blustery white.

“Hey!” he yelled, finally spotting his wife behind him with another snowball in her hand. He grabbed one of his own and threw it, but it missed her, sailing several feet to her left. There was a reason he left the fighting to her, after all. She laughed teasingly, then threw another at him, this time hitting the front of his shoulder.

Erlend ran toward her, gathering more snow as he went, and she darted to his left before clapping a handful of snow onto his head from behind. He turned and did the same, watching the silvery white of her hair shine with the snow and the early morning sunlight. 

Toril pulled him to her, laughing, both of them grabbing for handfuls of snow and throwing them at whatever body part they could hit until she lost her balance, falling into the snow and dragging him down with her.

It didn’t matter how long he had to wait for her, he realized, because moments like this made every second of waiting worth it in the end. 

He smiled, gasping for breath between bouts of laughter, as he pressed another handful of snow into her hair.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this fic! <3
> 
> If you like my writing, kudos and comments are always appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at [ineffablyadumbass,](https://ineffablyadumbass.tumblr.com) or on my gw2-specific blog [commander-passiflora](https://commander-passiflora.tumblr.com) where I post about updates and suchlike


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